Forever Neverland
by GeminiEarthDragon
Summary: Heaven couldn't have been half this wonderful. 2003 Peter Pan, WendyPeter drabble


I watched the 2003 Peter Pan movie again recently. Then this happened.

* * *

There was a chill that night that did not belong in the summer air. Though it made her nurse jittery, Wendy did not mind it in the least. Welcomed it, even. She was quite old now, after all, so it was only to be expected that the cold hand of Death would come for her one night, as it had for her husband many years earlier.

Her husband… Such a kind and wonderful man. He had possessed a soft twinkle in his eyes that sparkled just for her, one that made her feel more cherished then the finest jewels in England. Often times, she felt a terrible guilt in not being everything that he deserved in a wife. For though she loved him dearly and would never imagine leaving his side, the deepest, most cherished part of her heart- the part he _should_ have possessed- belonged to another. A mere boy, clothed in leaves and fairy dust and too wild for she to tame. He had taken that piece of her heart when she was very young, and she had never been able to find it again to give to anyone else. Her husband understood this, and never complained about his unfair lot in life. Instead, he was grateful to be given the love Wendy still had to spare after her whirlwind adventures. But it bothered Wendy even to this day. For a man such as her husband deserved so much more.

The woman was pulled from her musings by the feeling of gooseflesh rising on her withered skin as the chill of Death crept closer, practically licking its jowls now as it prepared to pounce. Wendy sensed it, but did not fight. She had accomplished much in her life by this point. She had written tales of adventure and excitement that had made her name well known throughout all of England and America. She had married a lovely man with laugh lines and shy grins who'd bring her daisies plucked from the wild and tuck them in her hair. She had four clever, sweet children who would sit at her knee and listen breathlessly as she told them of her adventures with the wild youth of her past. She had grandchildren who flocked to her, always hungry for cookies and the stories that she would never tire of telling. She had buried her loving husband among the daisies that he adored for the way that their innocence and beauty reminded him of her. And now she was to die. Old and tired, but content. This did not bother her in the least, for she had few regrets that still lingered as her end drew near at last.

There was but one thing that still troubled her. More even then the piece of her heart she could never give to her husband. It was the reason she still kept her window open at night, even though it made her nurse titter in disapproval and only invited Death in that much more quickly. For though she was old and childish things should've been put behind her long ago, Wendy still saw herself gazing out at the Second Star to the Right every night, having memorized it so closely that she even knew where it was when the skies were blocked by clouds or snow or rain. She still casted her eyes about hopefully when she thought she saw a shadow skitter playfully across her bedroom walls, or when she caught the glimmer of something gold in the corner of her sight. But in the end, it always turned out to be nothing. Though he'd promised to return, to listen to the stories she never stopped telling, Wendy never again saw her beloved hero since she was returned to her home in London.

Michael- who was very young when they were spirited off to Neverland- had no recollection of the magical world of fairies and pirates at all in this day and age. John had convinced himself that it was all a strange dream, and often begged his sister to do the same. But Wendy knew better. For no dream could be so wonderful, or painful, or make her feel so alive as the memories she had of that world where children never age. For that, and for all the lessons she had learned in Neverland, Wendy would never let herself forget that world, even as her memories grew older and more difficult to recall.

_That hardly matters now, though._ Wendy mused as her nurse turned off her light and bid the old woman good night, closing the door behind her. Death was sinking its claws into her even now, after all, and soon all of her memories- even the ones of Neverland- would be a thing of the past. As she began to take her final breath though, something amazing happened; a shadow appeared at her open window. It wasn't imagined or a misunderstood accident this time, either. It was a shape she knew all too well. A shape she'd been waiting to see again for many, many years now.

"Peter…" Wendy whispered with her final breath, smiling as her eyes grew heavy and her heart slowed. At last. At last she'd seen him again, the precious boy who would always possess her Hidden Kiss, and the part of her heart that went with it. If he heard her, then Peter Pan did not show it. Instead, the boy unsheathed his dagger and charged at something just behind Wendy with a righteous war cry. What followed, Wendy did not know. For that moment was to be her last on that earth, and in it, she was the happiest she'd been in ages.

He had returned to her. He had kept his promise.

* * *

To awaken again after dying is a strange thing. When Wendy's eyes opened again, she was surprised to see an endless blue sky and feel the soft, warm cloud beneath her, better than any bed she'd ever slept upon. Sitting up, Wendy glanced around her, trying to reorient herself. Oddly enough, her heart was still beating though she was supposed to be dead now, and she still breathed the sweet air around her. That wasn't to say that nothing changed, though, for the hand that she brought up for inspection was not the gnarled and wrinkled one she'd had that morning, but young and graceful, glowing with something Wendy had not possessed for years. Somehow, Wendy knew that something was connected to that missing piece of her heart. Looking past her hand, Wendy was not the least surprised to see the clouds parting to reveal the familiar island below.

"Neverland has gotten even more beautiful since the last time I was here." She marveled out loud as she stood on legs that were young and strong, looking down at herself to admire the lovely dress she was now wearing, crafted of white flower petals and vines from a willow and falling just past her knees. It felt like it had been made especially for her, and Wendy loved everything about the look and feel of the strange garb.

"It has more secrets now, too." A voice told her playfully, prompting Wendy to turn and gaze at the boy who had spirited her away yet again. His young face threatened to split into two at the grin he wore, and everything about him was exactly as Wendy remembered. "And lots of new games and adventures!"

"Peter…" Wendy said, unable to stop the smile from blossoming on her face. She should have been more confused at what was going on, but that feeling was overshadowed by how happy she was to just be there in Neverland with Peter Pan once more. Even without her asking though, Peter seemed ready to burst with his eagerness to tell Wendy how he'd accomplished to take an old woman on her deathbed and make her young and hale once more.

"The thimble you gave me was a powerful thing, Wendy." Peter told her as he danced from cloud to cloud, making Wendy's long brown hair whip about as she twirled around in every direction to watch him. "It left a piece of you right here." Peter explained, jabbing a thumb at his chest where his heart was. "And I could feel it even after you went back to grow up. The fairies told me that I could use that to bring you back, if I waited until just the right time. So I did! It was really hard, but I waited Wendy, and then, just when Death was coming for you, I frightened him off and snatched up your soul before it could fly away. Then I brought you back here and used the power from your thimble to make you the same as you used to be! Aren't I clever?"

"Very clever." Wendy laughed as she twirled around, marveling at the feeling of being a child once more. Glancing down at herself, Wendy grinned at the way she looked now, though her feet were bare and the wedding ring she had died in was gone. Indeed, the only piece of jewelry she now wore was Peter's acorn kiss around her neck, which should have been tucked away on her dresser. The switch felt like an intentional one, most likely the work of the youthful boy who had brought her here. Peter never was good at sharing after all. She should have probably been more upset at the exchange, but Wendy found it really didn't bother her as much as it probably should have. This made her feel a little guiltier towards her deceased husband, but even that guilt was overpowered by the joy she now felt at the miracle Peter had performed.

"Now we can both get what we want, Wendy." Peter said, looking hopeful, excited and a little fearful all at once. "You got to grow up. That's all done with now, so now you can be young again and play here with me forever." Wendy started a bit at this declaration, and Peter tensed, most likely expecting her to refuse him once again.

Except… Wendy had no reason to refuse him this time. Peter was quite right, after all. Her life had been lived, and it had been a happy one filled with love and joy, but always shadowed by the secret adventures of her childhood. Now that life was over, and she had nothing there to hold on to any longer. Now she was free once more to be the child she never outgrew no matter how old she became.

"Forever?" Wendy repeated slowly, fighting a smile and failing as she regarded the fidgeting boy before her with cornflower blue eyes. "Forever is an awfully long time." Hearing those words again brought the smile back to Peter's face, somehow even brighter and happier then Wendy had ever seen it.

"Only if you wish it to be." Peter replied, holding out his hand to the girl who was still most precious to him. The girl he wanted to share an eternity of youth and adventure with. Grinning, Wendy accepted the appendage, laughing when Peter whooped loudly and dragged her into the skies, flying so fast she could hardly breathe. And this time, Wendy knew for sure that she was here to stay, and she'd never regret the decision to return to Peter's side.

Heaven couldn't have been half this wonderful.


End file.
